The Jervis McEntee Diaries - May 31, 1876

Diary Entry:

Gertrude and I went to Cos Cob early Monday morning hoping to get the furniture on board the schooner and have it on its way but the Capt. was not ready to sail and could not say when he would but hoped to be soon. So we came home to await his movements. I took a run up to Vauxs on Sunday to see my father & mother who were there and had them come down on Monday when my father went to Eastman Johnsons and sat for him to finish his portrait. We found them here on our return from Cos Cob. Calvert had offered to take them to the Centennial and we concluded to go along so we had our breakfast at 6.30 and got off by the 8 train. It was a splendid day, cool and bright, and we took a tour about the main building, Memorial Hall, Horticultural Hall, The Rhododendrons, Agricultural Hall and Machinery Hall, leaving for home at 5.30. The train we came in, just out of Philadelphia ran over and killed a little girl about 11 years old. I was much pleased with my hasty glimpse of the English pictures in Memorial Hall. The hanging of our pictures in Memorial Hall is too absurd. They seem to have been put up as they came. Whittredge & his wife went on in the train with us and he told me of his troubles with Sartain. Just after our train left the Centennial grounds the engine struck a little girl about 11 years old and killed her instantly. As the train backed up we saw the poor little creature in the arms of some men and she evidently had died in an instant. Gertrude and I went out after my father & mother left for Vauxs, and bought the matting for the parlor and also the paper for the dining room and did some other shopping. Wrote to Booth and to Sara.